What Doesn't Kill Us Will Only Make Us Stronger
by Karasu Kyra
Summary: Izumo and Kotetsu are captured on a mission. KoIzu


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: Republished. I added some things.

Summary: Izumo and Kotetsu are captured on a mission.

Warning: Torture

What Doesn't Kill Us Will Only Make Us Stronger

By: Karasu

A shinobi. A tool used to protect a village. At six years old you think you'll become a superhero, seeing all the shinobi saving lives and such. But when you're nineteen and have developed a life beyond your six-year-old dreams, you don't want to die. You hesitate. And at that moment life comes crashing down on you.

That's what Kotetsu Hagane thought as his beaten and bloody form was dragged away by the enemy. But no, he should want death at this moment. Having gone through the best courses Konohagakure's T&I had to offer, he should be wishing for death. He was stripped of his clothes and tossed an undergarment and a shirt. He was then thrown in a dirty, grimy room. It was stained with blood. He could also smell feces, and something rotting. As he was thrown in the disgusting room, he thought he caught a glimpse of a rotting body, but the door was closed to quickly. He was left alone to his thoughts in the dark. Between the smells, the excessive heat, and the shock he blacked out.

He dreamed. He dreamed of Izumo Kamizuki, his best friend. How they had met, a chance meeting in the park as children, just before entering the academy together.

"_Who are you?" A six-year old Izumo asked, his face scrunched up in confusion._

"_I'm Kotetsu!" The dark-haired boy exclaimed._

"_I'm Izumo…Ya, wanna play with me?" Izumo asked._

"_Sure."_

_They both walked to the sandbox and began building a sandcastle together. _

"_Can I borrow your shovel please?" Izumo asked._

_Kotetsu beamed and handed over his shovel._

"_May I use your bucket?" Kotetsu asked._

_Izumo passed the bucket. Soon between the both of them, they constructed a sandcastle together._

"_It's fallin' apart!" Kotetsu whined._

"_Well, that's 'cause we ain't got enough water, silly!"_

"_Oh. How about we meet at the beach and make one someday?"_

"_Okay."_

"_It's a promise!"_

"_A promise!" Izumo agreed._

He jolted to consciousness as the door opened and he was grabbed by the collar and dragged out of the cell through the filth.

Together. Together they'd been to hell and back. It was no different now, just a different road there, but this time he wasn't sure they'd make it back. He wasn't even sure that Izumo survived.

He was laid on a cold, metal table. It burned against his overheated skin. He was strapped in. The restraints were tight, cutting into his wrists and ankles. His captors started at his hands. By this time Kotetsu had zoned out as he was taught. First each joint was broken with a sickening crack.

_CRACK._

_CRACK._

_CRACK._

He thought of Iruka Umino. His other teammate, who had gotten away, most likely gone for help. He trusted Iruka with his life, but he'd never quite felt the same way with Iruka as he did with Izumo. He'd met Iruka when they called their names for the genin squads. He was sitting next to him. Iruka turned to him with that sweet smile that was only his.

Now they were working on crushing his hands, asking him things about his village. Telling him the pain would stop as soon as they got answers. They crushed his legs, his feet, the bones grinding together. They shattered his kneecap. When they realized he wasn't going to talk, they threw him back in his cell. They injected him with something before leaving. A hallucinogen.

His vision wavered. He blinked and cracked open an eye. That was when he saw his sensei sitting in the room with him. He faltered. He suddenly felt a searing pain as he was jolted back to reality. He screamed. His eyesight was failing due to the pain. He soon slipped into unconsciousness as the pain took over.

Again he dreamed, but this time it quickly changed into a nightmare. He was sitting at the mission desk as Izumo stumbled in, bloody and broken. Broken in mind as well as his body. The medic nins healed him, physically, but Izumo was not Izumo anymore. All he was, was a lifeless doll, doing as was instructed of him. Suddenly his facial expression changed from expressionless to malicious. He drew a kunai and plunged it deep into his own chest.

He awoke again. But this time he was in not as much pain. A bearable amount of it. He seemed to be healed. Apparently their medics had weaved his bone back together while he was out cold. Too soon for Kotetsu his torturers were back dragging him to that damned table. They strapped him in and began their torture.

At one point a man had come into the room and quietly said something to the man that seemed to be the leader. He put his instruments down and walked out of the room. In that time Kotetsu slipped the hand they had disjointed out of it's bindings and was sawing at the others with a tool left by the man. Just before he was free, the man came into the room.

Quicker than his bleary mind could register the man had unarmed him and held him down. "Looks now like we'll have to put him in with the other one. He can watch." His tormentor said and then he was unstrapped and dragged through a few rooms until he caught sight of Izumo's face. It seemed he was only unconscious at the moment and hadn't been harmed.

He was tied to a chair, facing the table Izumo was on. He had to sit through them torturing Izumo and that just about broke him mentally. At some point of trying to tune out the screams, he was dragged to a new room and healed. Leaving shortly after. Minutes or what could've been hours, later, Izumo was thrown in there with him. Izumo, who had already been healed also, crawled over to Kotetsu and leaned against him. "Kiss me." he said.

"Wha-" but he was cut off as a pair of lips covered his own and a warm tongue pushed something cold and metal into his mouth.

Izumo pulled back. "Key." was all he said before he collapsed against Kotetsu. Kotetsu moved him to a position where he was lying on the ground with Izumo's head in his lap, stroking his hair.

He waited until he heard no more sounds coming from the outside. He scooped Izumo into his arms and awkwardly walked to the door. He opened it with the key Izumo had given him. He silently slipped around looking for what might be an exit. Soon his efforts were rewarded when he felt a gush of cold air. Without hesitation he leaped into the trees still carrying Izumo.

He didn't stop until he saw the gates of Konoha. He slowed and began walking. The second he arrived at the hospital and shoved Izumo over to the medics, he collapsed. Pain and exhaustion catching up with him.

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Kotetsu woke up to a blinding light and pounding headache. All of a sudden everything came rushing back to him and he jumped out of the bed, only to fall back down. He looked around and saw Izumo laughing in his bed across from his. Relief washed over him.

That was when he realized it. He was impossibly in love with the man across from him. He flung himself into the other bed, not even wincing when the IV was ripped out of his arm and crashed his lips upon Izumo's. Only when he felt Izumo respond to the kiss, kissing back, did he realize what he was doing. He quickly stumbled backwards, falling ungracefully to the floor.

Izumo was laughing again. "Man aren't you a lively one just after waking up?"

Kotetsu plastered a grin on his face when he realized Izumo wasn't mad. He slowly got up and stood before the bed, still grinning like an idiot.

"Come 'ere" Izumo said throwing back the blanket covering him and gesturing for Kotetsu to get in. He complied and after some situating Kotetsu was lying comfortably in the arms of Izumo.

"Hey Zu?" Kotetsu started.

"Hmm?" He said, eyes closed.

"I love you."

Izumo opened his eyes and looked at Kotetsu. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Kotetsu's.

"I love you too Ko."

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Kotetsu and Izumo walked down the beach, hand in hand. The sun was setting and the waves were lapping against their bare feet.

"You know, I still owe you a sand castle." Kotetsu said, smirking a little.

"You still remember that?" Izumo asked, incredulously.

"Of course! Come on then!" Kotetsu said dragging him to a good spot to make a sandcastle.

Later, found Kotetsu and Izumo, lying side by side, hand in hand, in front of their sand castle. It was dark and the stars shone brightly. The moon was giving off light as well.

Izumo looked over at Kotetsu and smiled. Kotetsu smiled back, squeezing Izumo's hand, and leaning over and kissing him. Together they fell asleep under the moonlight, their sandcastle standing proudly behind them, the waves moving in a constant rhythm.

AN: Watch out for the sequel Black and White Masquerade.


End file.
